The Macon County Library in Franklin will hold two programs on July 26. Avid coin collector Paul Biery will present a program on American Coins at 11 a.m. in the meeting room. Biery has been collecting coins for more than…

A class teaching beginning faux finish instruction will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Aug. 4 at the Leapin’ Frog Gallery in Waynesville. Instructor is Teir Siewert of Wallchemy, and the cost is $75. Siewert was trained in designer…

Local artists and artisans in Swain and surrounding counties are invited to submit up to four original works of art for the annual community art exhibit at the Swain County Center for the Arts. Artwork for this nine-week exhibit will…

Art League of the Smokies will meet at 6:15 p.m. on Aug. 2 at the Swain County Center for the Arts. The DVD “Lee Hammonds’s Lifelike Drawing,” will be shown. Learn how to draw a simple vase, furry dog, layered…

The Texas Tenors, a phenomenal trio who has been entertaining sold out audiences around the world, will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets start at $22. Fans of…

The ABBA tribute band Arrival from Sweden will perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3. Tickets start at $22. ABBA was a Swedish pop/rock band who reached great…

The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City continues its Summer Music Series with Carolina Dusk, fronted by Dusk Weaver, at 7 p.m. on July 26. The Summer Music Series at the library has become a local tradition, and this year’s…

Natalie Grant, an award-winning singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, will be in concert Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Showtime is set for 7:30 p.m. and tickets start at $10. Grant has received the…

The Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, quintet-in-residence at Western Carolina University, made a seven-day educational tour of Jamaica this summer to inspire the teaching and learning of brass instruments in the public schools there.

Bands just have to stick with it. Whether on the grand scale of being a signed, touring group or one whose “tour” constitutes a weekend long stand at the two or three bars populating the local main drag, giving in…

Raising Sand Duet albums are about as original as cheeseburgers, but this one has stayed in my car’s disc player for days now. A co-worker left Raising Sand on my desk Friday, and I’ve been listening to the collaboration between…

By Michael Beadle If you’re lucky enough to visit the Flying Cat Studio just off U.S. 276 in Jonathan Creek, you might get a glimpse of Spike, the mischievous mixed breed cat who’s been known to paw on the switch…

By Armando Basulto • Guest Writer There is something vaguely depressing about watching your nostalgia for your adolescent years transformed into a VH1 “We Love the 70’s-80’s” special. Realizing the years of high school memories you hoped to keep precious…

By Chris Cooper The picture you see when you flip open the new Moolah Temple Stringband CD shows singer/guitarist/found-sound alchemist Jonathan Wertheim whacking some hapless little synthesizer to bits with a mallet. That’s almost all that needs to be said…

Ugly Truths Has the entertainment industry really crumbled to such a sorry point that rather than attempting to make the best music they possibly can, the current “superstars” are more interested in making bets on whose outrageously hyped, fancily packaged…

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The problem with trying to interview a ventriloquist is that he — in this case Jeff Dunham — represents not just himself but multiple other personalities — in this case five — and in…

The Haywood County Arts Council invites artists to submit work samples for consideration in its art in business program, which places artists’ work for sale in area businesses. Original works in oil, watercolor, and acrylic are sought as well as…

Teachers Curt and Julie Cloninger will lead a writing seminar designed to help teachers and parents teach writing to their children from 7-9 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Vine of the Mountains Church on Depot Street in Waynesville

The Green Energy Park in Dillsboro will host a glass blowing classes on Aug. 4. The classes will be split into 45-minute slots from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. With the assistance of one of the resident glass artists, participants…

Six professionals are hoping to be crowned Disco King and Queen, based on donations they collect for the MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation as part of the Foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the year – “That ‘70s Gala,” an evening of dancing,…

Franklin will be hopping with all things barbecue when the fourth annual Mountain High BBQ Festival and Car Show comes to town Aug.10-11 at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center located on Georgia Road in Franklin.

The next community music jam at the Marianna Black Library in downtown Bryson City will be from 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 2 in the library auditorium or, weather permitting, on the library’s front lawn. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle,…

A course in “Creating Stained Glass” is being from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays for the month of August at Western Carolina University. Participants will learn about the Tiffany method of stained glass, which involves each piece of glass being…

Russian pianist Margarita Shevchenko will display her chops at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 10 at the Performing Arts Center on Pigeon Street in Waynesville. The evening’s program will include: Two Scarlatti Sonatas, Handel’s “Chaconne in G-major;” Tchaikovsky’s “Dumka op. 59;”…

Ray Price, a country music singer, songwriter and guitarist who has often been praised as one of the best male voices in country music, will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the…

By Shannan Mashburn • SMN Intern Wood carver Cliff Hannah is deeply rooted in Western North Carolina. The internationally renowned artist is from Sandy Mush and has family ties to Cataloochee, the pioneer community in Haywood County that is now…

Michael Buble In his four albums of the American Song bag series, Rod Stewart brought back many American classics from the 1940s and 1950s: “Blue Moon,” “What A Wonderful World,” “Stardust,” “A Kiss To Build A Dream On,” and many…

By Chris Cooper Two things still stick in my mind about Darren Nicholson’s excellent self-titled 2006 release; state of the art musicality married to a completely down to earth attitude, whether in person or on disc. Nicholson’s mastery in bluegrass…

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer David Tripp’s workshop is piled head-high with wood. There are tree limbs here, locust logs there, stands of chestnut boards leaned against the wall and lying on the floor.

“Come Early Morning” This is the kind of movie that gets past you, a small budget movie that didn’t get wide release or big studio backing, one you might have noticed briefly in the papers or trailers upon its initial…

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Sarah Rolland first connected with clay on an emotional level. With lunch plans to meet a friend who was taking a course in Haywood Community College’s craft program, Rolland walked into the school’s pottery…

Spray Paint Took a page from “Trading Spaces” and all those other home renovation/redecoration shows this past weekend and salvaged a light fixture with a little creativity. For the cost of a can of Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Hammered paint in…

By Michael Beadle Once upon a sitcom, Linda Lavin was America’s hardest-working waitress. Remember “Alice” — a household name in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s? What you may not know about this Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actress is…

By Chris Cooper The phrase “well rounded” gets thrown about pretty often, but it fits few people better than banjoist extraordinaire Alison Brown. Her forays into the many facets of bluegrass music, as well as her superb technical and compositional…

The Haywood Community Band will present its fourth free concert of the Maggie Valley Concert Series at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19, at the pavilion adjacent to Maggie Valley Town Hall. The band will take the audience on a…

Musician and folklorist Lee Knight will perform in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 14. Knight is a native of the Adirondack Mountains and a long-time resident of…

The Haywood Arts Regional Theater is once again presenting a chance for area talent to take home the gold with the Second Annual “Haywood’s Got Talent” event in September. HART is offering a $1,000 top prize for the winner and…

The Smoky Mountain Community Theatre is holding auditions for its December production, “A Christmas Carol,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 16-17. This play is based on the classic book by Charles Dickens. The story tells about the…

Haywood Arts Regional Theater will present Neil Simon’s play “Lost in Yonkers” which premiered at the Richard Rogers Theater in February 1991 and won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony award. The play will show at 7:30 pm. on Aug. 17-18…

The Marianna Black Library will present an evening of acoustic music with local singer/songwriter team Liz and AJ Nance at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9. Weather permitting, this program will be presented on the front porch of the library; otherwise, it…

The Summer Concert series at Fontana Village Resort will feature The Elderly Brothers from 8-11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11, in the Events Hall at Fontana Village Resort. The Elderly Brothers play classics from the 50s, 60s and 70s. There will…

The next Second Sunday Contra Dance will be from 2:30-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12, in the community room on the second floor of the old courthouse in the Jackson County Library Complex in Sylva. Jennie Wakefield will call the…

“Answering the Call: Religion and Chaplains during the Civil War” will be the topic of a lecture by Ronald Vinson at 1 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Macon County Public Library. Vinson is a graduate of Georgia Tech and…

The Kiwanis Club of Waynesville is reviving the very popular Spelling Bee fundraising event that was run, for many years, by the Haywood County Literacy Council. The event is scheduled for Nov. 2 at the First Methodist Church in Waynesville.…

The Folk Art Center will host its annual celebration of woodcrafts at Wood Day from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Aug.11 at The Folk Art Center’s auditorium. Demonstrations include carving, wood-turning, broom-making, and furniture design and construction. Southern Highland Craft Guild…

Elementary school-aged children and their families are invited to a free “Back To School” ARTSaturday workshop from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Aug. 11, in the children’s area of the Macon County Public Library. Make-and-take projects include personalized book…

By Peggy Manning • Correspondent Two Western North Carolina preachers were chosen for an episode of the new Picked Off television series, pitting their talents against other “pickers” searching for items they hope will bring the best price. The Revs.…

By Michael Beadle It’s been called the poor man’s silver, but its shine and durability have made it prized in kitchens and living rooms around the world. “You can do three things with pewter,” says Ruth McConnell, a third-generation pewter…

By Chris Cooper Robben Ford: Truth Not many guitarists can meld the harmonic sensibilities of jazz with the visceral punch of blues and make it work. Often, the “blues” part of it gets watered down in order to better accommodate…

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Ah, the old TV cartoons from childhood...The Smurfs. The Super Friends. Scooby Dooby Doo. Remember when predictable heroes could save the day and still provide us with a few corny jokes?

In the Heart of the Sea: the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick If you want an adventure-tragedy story, read this book. In 1820 a whaling ship from Nantucket was attacked by a sperm whale in the Pacific…

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education specialist Lee Sherrill dips out a cup full of water from a five-gallon bucket and holds it up to the small group of students gathered around. He inserts a…

By Chris Cooper The ocean’s a powerful thing. Source of life, nice to look at ... all that stuff. How many fond memories do you have of the beach, the sights and smells, seagulls and bikinis? Ever found yourself wandering…

The Friends of the Library will present the final novel in the “Let’s Talk About It: Civil War Novels” discussion series, Lincoln’s Dreams, at 4 p.m. Aug. 22 in the Waynesville library auditorium. Emory Maiden, professor at Appalachian State University,…

Jody Kraner, owner of Amaste Woman, will speak from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 20 in the conference room of the Cooperative Extension Office. Amaste Woman is a company that creates and offers sewing patterns for making flattering, asymmetrical robes or tunic…

Members of the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra — conducted by William Henigbaum — will present a string chamber orchestra concert at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library. The string players of…

The Haywood County Arts Council will host its 12th annual “Wine for the Arts” from 7-9 p.m. Aug. 23 at The Classic Wineseller as part of the 2012 FUNd Party Series. The Classic Wineseller, which is located on Church Street…

Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum will host a reception from 5-7 p.m. Aug. 23 for its biennial School of Art and Design faculty art show. The exhibition features the work of WCU faculty members, all teaching artists, who work…

Appalachian Fire Bluegrass Band of Flat Rock will perform a concert of classic bluegrass and gospel music at 3 p.m. Aug. 19 at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. Immediately following the one-hour concert, there will be…

Dan Cherry, associate professor in Western Carolina University’s School of Music, will take listeners on a “European Tour” when he presents a recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23. The free concert will be held in the recital hall of…

The Summer Concert series at Fontana Village Resort will feature Logan Murrell from 8-11 p.m. Aug. 17 and the Caribbean Cowboys Trio from 8-11 p.m. Aug. 18 on the deck of the Wildwood Grill. The Caribbean Cowboys Trio play a…

The 15th annual Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam will take place from 5-11 p.m. Aug. 24-25 on the lawn of the Fines Creek Community Center at 190 Fines Creek Road in Clyde. This year’s line-up consists of The Ross Brothers, Steve Brown and…

Land of the Sky Barbershop Chorus will perform at 3 p.m. Aug. 19 in Tartan Hall at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Franklin. With more than 30 members, the Asheville-based, all-male chorus sings lively a cappella renditions of old-time and…

The Jeff Little Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Stecoah Valley Center as part of the Appalachian Evening series. Little has a remarkable piano style influenced by the mountain flat-pick guitar style of Doc Watson. With…

Haywood County Arts Council is now accepting applications for North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program sub-grants through Sept. 20. Application forms and grant guidelines are available at www.haywoodarts.org or may be picked up at the Haywood County Arts Council…

The Jackson County Arts Council is now accepting applications for arts program grants for the fiscal year 2012-2013. The grant application will be reviewed twice during the year. Applications are due by Sept. 20 to be reviewed in October at…

Gary Carden, storyteller and humorist, will once again visit Highlands at 4 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Hudson Library to share excerpts from his latest work, “Outlander,” a play about the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The…

As part of a Summer Music Series, the Bryson City library will present acoustic country music by Ron and Julia Thompson at 7 p.m. Aug. 23. Weather permitting, the program will be presented on the front porch of the library;…

The Jackson County Green Energy Park will host a reception at its art gallery from 5-7 p.m. Aug. 23 for Western Carolina University alumnus and ceramist Preston Tolbert. The event is free and open to the public. “When I work…

The Macon County Public Library will host the Patton String Band at 7 p.m. Aug. 30. Come and enjoy old time traditional mountain tunes, as well as country and gospel songs. Thursdays at the Library is an eclectic mix of…

Fontana Village Resort will host the third annual LakeAlooza celebration Aug. 31-Sept. 1. Local residents and visiting guests are invited to attend the line-up of family friendly events. The resort will host a family softball game at 7 p.m. Friday…

Cullowhee Mountain ARTS is raffling off 24 original art works ranging from painting and printmaking to mixed media and ceramics. Professional artists who taught during the 2012 Summer Visual Arts Series and staff members at Cullowhee Mountain ARTS donated the…